Landing pages are ideal when there’s something very specific that you want an audience to do. Maybe it’s signing up for something, making a purchase, or downloading a piece of content. What do you need to know in order to be successful? And what does success look like anyway?
A “good” landing conversion rate is between 2 and 6 percent. Of course there are many variables, but the following best practices will help you ensure your page is set up for optimum results:
- Understand what your audience wants. Probably obvious, but first and foremost, the content has to be appealing to your audience.
- Segment your audience. If you are sending your offer to everyone, or a large group of people, consider the relevancy. Targeting a smaller group of people with a very specific call-to-action can greatly increase your conversion rates. Even a few different versions with some very small changes can make an impact.
- Utilize emotions. People don’t buy a product or service just for the product or service. They buy because they like how it makes them feel. When appealing to your target audience, make them feel smart, inspired, excited, etc. and you’ll see much better results.
- Ensure your ad copy matches your landing page copy. Don’t do a bait and switch – keep your messages consistent.
- Have a clear offer. Simple and to the point, they should be able to understand the offer immediately.
- Pick the right image. Selecting an image shouldn’t be an after thought. Typically, images that show some type of feeling and include people perform best.
- Above the fold still applies. Yes, people are more used to scrolling with the use of social media so it’s less important to think about the fold throughout your website. But, for a landing page offer, you have about 2 seconds to grab the person’s attention so your offer needs to be immediately visible.
- Utilize SEO. Don’t get lazy on landing pages. One tool I like is called Ubersuggest and can help you with keyword suggestions.
- Less is more. Visually, you do not want your page to look cluttered. Focus on a great headline, image, and call to action button.
- Make your call-to-action button stand out. Typically, bright or contrasting colors work best.
- Utilize scarcity. If you want people to act now, make your offer for a limited time. Showing how many are left or utilizing a countdown timer are both good strategies.
- Don’t set it and forget it. Even if you follow best practices, there’s always room for improvement. Make tweaks and observe whether your conversion rate improves or not.
- Experiment with form length. If you just need an email, just ask for an email. But if you find that you are looking to better qualify your leads or could benefit from collecting additional data, try utilizing a longer form. You may get less conversions but the people that do convert will be more qualified.
- Understand how people are behaving on your page. Crazy Egg offers a heatmap tool to give you an overview of where people are clicking.
- A/B test. Especially when it comes to headlines and CTA buttons, A/B testing is a simple way to try two different ideas and see which performs best.
- Add testimonials. People want to hear from others, even if they don’t know them! Quotes and videos from customers can be a great way to increase conversions.
- Experiment with an exit popup. This is a box that appears if a visitor tries to leave your page. You can even try adding an extra incentive at this point. Hello Bar is a tool that can help you set one up.
Have a landing page that needs optimized? Email me and I’d love to help!
